Electric-lighting system for carousels.



G. H. GRANIER.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR CAROUSELS.

APPLICATION rlLgn SEPT. 11, 191e.

l 9274A) 9 3 Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

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Ir lm- G. H. GRANIER.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR CAROUSELS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. Il. |916.

` Patented Aug. 6, 19.18.

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UNTEB- STAE PATENT FFCE.

GEORGE n. CRAMEE, or nomen 'rcNAWANnA, NEW YORK, AssIGNoE ro HEESHELL- SPILLIVIAN CO., 0F NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, .A CREORATION 0F NEW YORK,

ELECTRIC-:trentuno sYsTEivr. Eon CAEOUsEns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6,1918.

Application led September 11, 1916. Serial No. 119,429.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that LGEORGE H. CRAMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric-Light'- chine shall be capable of ready assemblage and dismemberment. With this in view, my invention has for the further object to so organize the lighting system that the electric connections can be quickly and conveniently made.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 lis a sectional top plan, partly diagrammatic view of a carousel embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the contact ring and associated parts. Fig. 4 is a` cross section taken on line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the contact ring and contact rollers. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of a sweep of the carousel showing the electrical circuit diagrammatically. Y

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout thel several views. f

-1 indicates the center pole or mast of the carousel on which is mounted the revolving hub 2 carrying the customary radial arms or sweeps' 3. At the outer extremities of said sweepsand suitably secured thereto are cornice sections 4, which preferably carry the lamps for illuminating the machine. The members 3 and "4 constitute theupper rotary frame of the machine. This frame may be rotated by means of a pinion 5 mounted on an upright driving shaft 6 and meshing with an internal gear 7 secured to the underside of the sweeps 3.

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Arranged belowthe hub and concentric therewith are Contact rings or members 8, 9, spaced .a suitable distance apart by means of the spacer blocks 10. Surrounding the outer edges of these contact members are bands 11 of copper or other suitable conductive material which are secured to said rings by screws 12 lor other appropriate means. volving hub 2 by any desired means, but the constructionv shownin the drawings is suit-y able and consists of a plurality of radial supporting arms 18, permanently fastened at their outer ends to the upper side of the con- These rings are secured to the retact member8, whiletheir inner ends are detachably secured -to the underside .of said vhub by bolts 14. As shown in Fig. 1, each of these supporting arms is preferably located in' the intervening space between two v adjacent sweeps, to facilitate the attachmen 15 indicates fuse blocks preferably arranged upon the lupper contact ring 8 and each located in the space Vbetween two adjacent sweeps to render their connections easily accessible. These fuse blocksmay be of any well known construction, those shone in the `drawings being provided with sockets 16, fuse plugs 17 and two vsets of positive and negative terminals or binding posts 18, 19 arranged at opposite sides of the blocks. f The two lwires 201leadingfrom the corresponding "positive and negative terminals 18 are electrically connected with the upper and lower -contact rings 8 and 9 by securing theirfree ends to corresponding terminal plates 21 of copper 'or other vsuitableconductive material fastened toA said rings. The two'wires 22 leading fr om the corresponding positive and negative terminals 19E at the opposite sideof each fuse block are connected to the corresponding terminals of a switch plug 23 adapted to be inserted in a metallic socket 24 preferably arranged in a recess'in the lower Ainner'end 0f the sweep 3, asshown'in Fig. 6". Connected to this socket are positive and negative wires or conductors 25 whichy passy upwardly- -through the sweep and may be seated in grooves in the top thereof. After passing along the sweep to a point short of its outer end, the wires extend downwardly through it and are connected to they terminals of a socket 26 carried by the sweep and similar to that at the imier end of the sweep. By extending the wiring along the top of the .sweeps they are concealed from view and present a more sightly structure.

A switch plug 27 similar tothe plug 23, is adapted to be inserted in the socket 26. The terminals of the plug 27 are connected with the lead wires of a bank or series of lamps 28 mounted on the sweep-frame of the machine. Such lamps are arranged in groups or banks on different sections of said frame and the circuit of each group includes such a fuse block and a pair of switch plugs 23, 27 and their cooperating sockets 24, 26.

Current is supplied to these lamp circuits from a battery or other source of supply by means of a pair of contact rollers 29 adapted to engage the upper and lower contact rings 8, 9. ln the preferred construction shown each of these rollers is journaled in a bifurcated arm 30 pivoted by a horizontal pin 3()a to a horizontal rod 31 slidable lengthwise in openings in the walls of a lined` casing or support 32. To obtain a good and reliable contact, these rollers are constantly pressed against the contact rings by springs 33 surrounding said rods and bearing at one end against the inside of the casing while their other ends engage collars 34 secured to the rods. As shown in Fig.

- 2, the casing 32 is bolted to a shelf or plat forni 35, the inner end of which abuts against the stationary center pole 1 of the machine, while its outer portion is carried by a brace 36. The current supply wires are fastened to binding posts 3( arranged at the outer ends of the rods 31, through which the current passes to the contact rollers.

After the machine has been set up ready for use, the lamp circuits are established by simply inserting the switch plugs 23 of the fuse blocks in the corresponding inner sockets 24: of the sweeps and inserting the switch plugs 27 of the banks of lamps in the corresponding outer sockets 26 at the outer end of the sweeps. Each lamp circuit being thus completed, current will iiow from the current source through one of the contact rollers 29, companion contact ring 8, one side ofA the corresponding fuse block l5, one .side of the switch plugs 23 and 27, the lamps and back through the other side of said plugs and said fuse block, through the contact ring, and the companion roller to the current source. ings, these lamps are preferably connected Copies of this patent may be obtained for As shown in the drawin series, although they may be connected in parallel, if desired.

In this improved lighting system the electric connections for closing the circuits can be made quickly and conveniently and without going above the sweeps, as was necessary in the systems heretofore used, effecting a material saving of time which is essential in machines of this character which in some cases are daily transported.

It is apparent that modications in the constructions and arrangement of parts can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as covered by the appended claimsi I claim as my invention:

l. The combination of the rotary sweepframe of a carousel, separate lamp-circuits mounted on said frame, conductors forming a part of each lamp circuit and extending lengthwise of the sweeps of said frame, said conductors being connected at their ends to switch-sockets arranged at opposite ends of the corresponding sweeps, contact rings rotatable with said sweep-frame, a switch plug for each lamp circuit having connections to said contact-rings respectively and adapted to engage one of said sweep-sockets, a second switch-plug for each lamp-circuit connected with the leads thereof and adapted to engage the other of said sweep-sockets, and relatively stationary contact members engaging said contact rings and adapted to be connected with a source of current.

2. The combination of the rotary sweepl frame of a carousel, separate lamp-circuits mounted on said frame, conductors forming a part of each lamp-circuit and extending lengthwise of the sweeps of said frame, said conductors being connected at their ends to switch-sockets arranged at opposite ends of the corresponding sweeps, contact rings rotatable with said sweep-frame, a switch plug, fuse blocks included in said circuit-s, respectively and mounted on one of said contact rings, each fuse block being electrically connected with said contact rings and having a switch-plug adapted to engage the inner socket of the corresponding sweep, each of said lamp circuits including a switch plug adapted to engage the outer socket of the corresponding sweep, and relatively stationary contact-members engaging said contact rings and adapted to be connected with a source of current.

GEORGE H. CRAMEB.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 6i Patents. Washington, D. C. 

